Students and teachers from Sanjeong Middle School in Gwangju's Gwangsan-gu District and Theodore Monod Middle School near Paris on April 8 take a group photo after a farewell ceremony at Sanjeong.

By Charles Audouin
Photos = Charles Audouin

"I was touched by the kind and warm hospitality of the Korean students. I hope for this exchange to continue."

This is what Wiam Chetouani, a student from Theodore Monod Middle School in France who visited Sanjeong Middle School in Gwangju's Gwangsan-gu District, said on April 8.

Located north of Paris, the French school sent 15 students to visit Sanjeong from April 7-8. Students from both schools met one another in person for the first time after communicating online only.

The two schools formed the exchange through the 130 School Project, an international program planned by the city council of the Paris suburb Seine-Saint-Denis ahead of the Paris Summer Olympics last year. Through three joint courses online by both sides, the students learned about the values of the Olympics and Paralympics and each other's culture.

French student Wiam Chetouani (middle) talks with classmates in a Hangeul (Korean alphabet) class while visiting Sanjeong Middle School in Gwangju.

On what she found interesting about a Korean middle school, Wiam mentioned the custom of taking off sneakers and wearing indoor slippers in a classroom, adding, "The way students dressed comfortably and studied was impressive."

The encounter was also memorable for Sanjeong students. Kim Ji Yu said, "We're on opposite sides of the planet, but aren't much different from each other, and we had much in common due to our similar ages."

For two days, the French visitors formed friendships with their pen pals, learned Korean and played dodge ball. They also experienced Korean culture by making gimbap (seaweed rice rolls) and eating dinner at their friends' homes.

A banner welcomes the French students at Sanjeong Middle School in Gwangju.

Kim Yu Jin, the teacher who led the project for Sanjeong, stressed that interacting with the world and directly experiencing new cultures help student maturity and character development.

"I think that when students learn in a vivid way based on life knowledge, it further enriches and improves their lives," she said. "The exchange program went smoothly because they respected, communicated and empathized with one another. As a teacher, it was a very happy time for me."

Both schools are reviewing methods to maintain their exchange.

caudouin@korea.kr